Formal Hebrew instruction begins at Temple Chayai Shalom in grade 2. Students learn the letters and vowels of the Hebrew alphabet and learn essential decoding skills to build fluency in reading. We use a mnemonic system that uses not only words, but also body motions, to aid in remembering letter and vowel sounds.

Our Hebrew Curriculum is prayer-based and is a two-year revolving curriculum so that students can be grouped across grade levels (grade 3 & 4 students and grade 5 & 6 students). There are three overarching goals to our Hebrew Madorim Program:

to strengthen each student’s ability to decode prayer and build fluency for reciting, chanting and ultimately leading prayer as a part of a prayer service

to give context for each prayer studied – when the prayer is recited – and some background of the prayer

to study the main themes of the prayer, to make prayer a more meaningful and relevant experience, and to empower students to make a personal connection